Reggie McKenzie on Jarvis Jones: You can’t change what you see on tape

Posted by Josh Alper on March 22, 2013, 9:06 AM EDT

AP

For years under Al Davis, the Raiders had a reputation for drafting players who ran very fast even if their on-field results were less impressive.

Davis has passed away, leaving a new group in charge of making personnel decisions and they’re using different criteria. That was evident at Georgia’s pro day on Thursday when General Manager Reggie McKenzie weighed in on linebacker Jarvis Jones‘ workout. Jones ran a 4.9-second 40-yard dash, which was slower than expected and which led observers like Mike Mayock of the NFL Network to suggest Jones could slip down draft boards. McKenzie had a slightly different take.

There’s a strange dance that goes on during the run-up to the draft where those who make a living studying the draft bang the drum for judging players based on how they perform on the field right up until the point a player has a disappointing workout. You obviously want to have fast players on your team, but you want productive ones more and Jones was very productive at Georgia while playing in a conference that every pundit has deemed the finest in all the land. It seems strange that one 40-yard dash would be given more weight than that.

Problem is for the Raiders is that with the #3 pick in the draft, NO second round pick and a legacy of bad contracts and even worst draft picks there is NO way you take a chance on the Jones’ and Te’o of this world in that slot.

Reggie will either trade out of the pick to a team needy for a QB and willing to take a chance on Geno Smith OR select DE (Floyd) or DT (Lotulelei).

One (or both) should still be there.

Raiders were such a mess on the defensive side of the ball in 2012 (and with Allen having a defensive background with a DC that field a REALLY bad defense last year); my guess is they continue to focus on re-building the defensive side of the ball in the Draft.

Already started with the LB Corps in FA so now it is a blue chip DT/DL then seek secondary help.

jimmysee says:Mar 22, 2013 9:30 AM

His apparent diva-dom and ego may be more damaging to Jones than his 40-time.

Reggie is the worst GM in the league nobody cares what he thinks . The few talented players he had left because because of his incompetance of bringing in Dennis Allen and the west coast offense disaster let alone his signing of two cornerbacks with an injury history.

rayguyreturns says:Mar 22, 2013 10:20 AM

“raiderlyfe510 says:
LBs run at pursuit angles not straight. Using straight line speed to evaluate a LB prospect is dumb…”
____________________________________
…..right up until he has to cover a back out of the backfield.

Someone please explain how he’s a diva or anything like that? He said he’s the best player in the draft? So what. It’s called confidence. He never caused any problems at UGA and was a team leader. The diva comments just show you have no idea what you are talking about other thn reading that one article where he said he was the best player in the draft

wvuandsteelers says:Mar 22, 2013 11:05 AM

I went to the SEC Championship this year. One thing I noticed was that ‘Bama seemed to always run away from Jones. If Saban (who is arguably the best college coach in the country) wants nothing to do with him, then my guess is he is pretty darn good. He’s excelled in the best conference in the country for multiple years. Is he worth #1 overall? Probably not. Is he a 1st round talent? Absolutely. I hope he slides to the Steelers.

Not working out, slacking off, decline in health, etc can change a guy from what you see on tape. Tape is the past. When I watch LT on tape, he’s still got it. If he got on a field today, it wouldn’t be the same.

The 40 is one of the most underrated measures of “football ability”. Sure, its a great measure of athleticism but playing LB is more about pre snap reads, preparation, position, gap discipline, instincts etc, if he constantly puts himself in a great position to make plays against say, big tight ends in the seam, or physical slot receivers, I dont see this being a problem, it’ll seem like he’s playing extremely fast. In the run game, it wont hinder him at all right now, he’s extremely physical at the point of attack and is a natural at getting off blocks(you cant coach this), he’ll immediately be a top 15 run stopper in the league on day one. Yeah, 4.9 is “slow” but he’ll rarely be asked to run in a straight line on the football field.

MyTeamsAllStink says:Mar 22, 2013 12:47 PM

Reggie is driving up the asking price for the third pick.Hes no fool Hes in a pretty good spot,he can either get a strong defensive player or he can get multiple picks to fill needs from desperate teams looking for a quick fix(hello Buffalo and Arizona).